Bleach 1. Rude Awakenings

K U R A Y A M I ©

(_Darkness_)

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. I arm wrestled Tite Kubo for it… but lost… badly.

AN: Hiya! This is my very first fanfic, so please be nice. I've had this idea kicking around for a while and I finally got the courage to try it out, so please let me know what you guys think. Enjoy!

Chapter One – Rude Awakenings

_Hitsugaya squinted his eyes at the darkness stretched out before him. He could vaguely make out the shapes of trees, so he figured he must be in a forest of some sort. 'Where am I?' He thought to himself. A sharp crack made Hitsugaya turn swiftly to his right, reaching instinctively for his zanpakutou. His hand grasped air - Hyourinmaru had vanished. "What the hell is going on here?" he yelled in frustration, but an eerie silence was his only reply. Looking around again he noticed a dim light gently glowing in the distance and shunpoed towards it. After colliding with his second tree in a row, Hitsugaya wisely decided that perhaps it was not wise to shunpo through a dark forest full of large, unforgiving trees. Rubbing his forehead he looked back up, then stopped dead in his tracks. Before him stood a girl, surrounded in a pulsing light, almost like a dancing fire. She was standing on the edge of a cliff, gazing down, her blond hair flowing freely in the restless wind that had begun to pick up. "Excuse me… umm, miss?" Hitsugaya said calmly, but he could not ignore the strange feeling growing in his stomach, which was anything but calm. For some reason, Hitsugaya felt connected to her somehow, he felt protective. His thoughts were interrupted when the reiatsu surrounding the girl suddenly flared and the wind became fierce, forcing him to his knees. He looked from the girl, who appeared to be crying, to the cliff's edge, and instantly knew what would happen next. "Wait!" He yelled desperately. "I can help you!" The girl turned her head towards him, tears flowing freely, and a slightly confused look crossed her features. Hitsugaya's stomach dropped. He couldn't see her clearly, but this feeling was so strong that it hurt. He lowered his voice, "Please. Let me help you." The girl's eyes widened in surprise and disbelief before the burning reiatsu consumed her and she disappeared …_

"No… wait…"

"Taichou… ano, Taichou? … TAICHOU!"

Hitsugaya woke with a start and fell onto the floor of his office in tenth division. He looked up to see who had yelled and his eyes met his fukutaichou's… erm, assets.

"Geez, Taichou. This is the third time you've fallen asleep at your desk this week. And you say that I'M lazy? Pfft."

"Matsumoto…" growled Hitsugaya in warning.

"Relax, Taichou. I don't mind. Although you've started to make these weird whiney noises and you talk in your sleep… well more like mumble. Oooh! Were you having a nightmare? Aww, Kawaii! Taichou had a nightm— "

"Urusai Matsumoto!" exploded Hitsugaya, and the temperature in the room dropped below freezing. _Nightmare. _ He supposed that's what it was. He had been having the same kind of dreams for months now, but within the past week, the feelings that accompanied them had gotten significantly stronger. Lately, it had felt like his heart was being ripped from his chest. At this point, Hitsugaya had no idea what to make of them. All he could be certain of was that these were no ordinary dreams…

A knock at the door brought Hitsugaya out of his thoughts, and silenced Matsumoto, who had been babbling on about something to do with dream interpretations and wetting the bed. Hitsugaya rolled his eyes.

"Excuse me. I am 8th seat of the Tenth division, Kyuko Tobashi, here with an urgent message from Yamamoto-Soutaichou. Are Hitsugaya-Taichou and Matsumoto-Fukutaichou present?" The voice said through the door.

"Hai," Hitsugaya replied. "Open the door."

"Yamamoto-Soutaichou has called an emergency meeting, all Taichous and their Fukutaichous are required to attend," Tabashi relayed.

"When is the meeting?"

"Immediately, Taichou."

"Arigato, you are dismissed."

"Hai!" Tobashi said with a low bow and exited the office.

Hitsugaya turned to Matsumoto. She had a thoughtful look on her face. "Ne Taichou, this sounds pretty serious… What do you think the big emergency is?" She asked.

'An emergency… out of nowhere. How strange.' He thought to himself. 'I don't sense any abnormal reiatsu…' "No idea, Matsumoto," He shook his head. "Let's go."

Hitsugaya and Matsumoto were among the last to arrive at First Division. All of the other Captains and their Vice Captains were taking their places, with Yamamoto standing at the front. As they took their spots, the Soutaichou opened his eyes a crack and called the meeting to order with three booming thumps from his staff.

"As I am sure you are all aware of, we have an emergency situation at hand," Yamamoto began gruffly. "There have been bursts of unidentified reiatsu coming from Karakura town. The reiatsu is startlingly strong and as of yet we have no idea as to what might be causing it."

"Have we ruled out the possibility of a strong hollow or arrancar?" Questioned Unohana.

"Yes, and the Research and Development Bureau has been working hard to study it, although that task has been quite difficult due to the fact that the reiatsu fluctuates unpredictably. Kurotsuki-Taichou, care to fill us in?"

Kurotsuki stepped forward, his eyes growing wide. "Of course. The Technological Research Bureau has detected extremely large levels of reiatsu, originating from various areas of Karakura town. The reiatsu appears in what seems to be random spurts and in areas with no particular significance. When I tried to trace it, it would vanish as if it never existed at all."

"Hmm," the Soutaicho interjected. "Ukitake-Taichou, you sent a team out to Karakura Town some time ago. Have they found anything?"

At this point, all eyes were on Ukitake. Most of the other captains were unaware that a team had already been sent out, since they themselves were not informed of the situation. Ukitake cleared his throat. "When we were contacted by Urahara Kisuke on behalf of those present in the Living World, we sent Kuchiki Rukia and Abarai Renji there to investigate. They have been there, working with the substitute shinigami, and as of yet are unable to locate the source of the wild reiatsu."

"Have we ruled out the possibility of a hollow or arrancar?" Questioned Unohana.

"Yes, through detailed tests and analyses we have determined that the source is neither of those. Rather, it is something with the capacity to become much stronger than both. We cannot tell exactly what it is, but like I said before, we do know it is originating from Karakura Town, at varying times, and at seemingly insignificant areas. I have suggested that we send a team to investigate, retrieve the object, and bring it back to be studied – "

Everyone in the room groaned out loud. "Of course you'd love to pick it apart and study it you sick little bastard," grumbled Kenpachi, while Yachiru now chanted "Bastard-Chan! Bastard-Chan – "

"SILENCE!" Boomed Yamamoto. Immediately everyone's attention snapped back to him. "Ukitake, is there anything else that was reported?"

"Hai. Rukia and the substitute shinigami, Kurosaki Ichigo, have felt the reiatsu and have attempted to locate the source. Each time, they would arrive on the scene and the reiatsu would have vanished. They noted that the reiatsu was indeed very strong, perhaps rivalling that of a Captain's at times, and has a somewhat dark heat to it. Also, it is worth mentioning that since the appearance of this reiatsu, more hollow and arrancar have been showing up as well." Ukitake stated.

Hitsugaya's jaw nearly hit the floor. 'Dark heat?' That was one way to describe these recent dreams. 'I wonder if they're connected somehow.'

"Yama-Jii," drawled Kyouraku. "Is it possible that Aizen is aware of this thing's presence, and has perhaps sent those hollow and arrancar to retrieve it?"

"Ahh, very possible indeed," Yamamoto agreed. "This is why I have decided to send two teams to Karakura Town to further investigate the situation, find the source, and bring it back to Soul Society, by force if deemed necessary. Ukitake-Taichou and Kyouraku-Taichou are heading this mission. One team will be to help Kurosaki and Kuchiki with the recent increase in hollow and arrancar. The other team will have the sole purpose of retrieving the source of the abnormal reiatsu. Ukitake-Taichou and Kyouraku-Taichou, make the teams, they will leave tomorrow morning. Other than that, you are dismissed."

"Hai." Everyone replied and began to file out.

That evening, Hitsugaya sat at his desk working away at the large amount of paperwork he had to get done. But for some reason his mind wandered. In fact, he was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he hadn't even noticed when Matsumoto snuck out of the office to go drinking with Kira and Hisagi. His mind kept replaying what was said in the meeting, as well as what he saw in his dreams. He knew it was unlikely they were related, hell that idea was just insane, but he could not help feeling like the dreams meant something to the current situation. 'Dark heat…' The words he could not forget… Suddenly, a hell butterfly came in through the window, pulling Hitsugaya out of his thoughts. Subconsciously he held out a finger to receive the message:

_The teams for tomorrow's mission are as follows. Kira Izuru and Hisagi Shuhei _

_ will assist with the increase in hollow and arrancar appearances. Matsumoto _

_ Rangiku and Abarai Renji will search for the source of the reiatsu, led by _

_ Hitsugaya-Taichou. Ukitake-Taichou and Kotetsu Isane will accompany for _

_ support services, and Kyouraku-Taichou will lead the investigation of the source_

_ from the Soul Society end. All those going to the Real World will leave at 0500 _

_ tomorrow, be prepared._

"Well Matsumoto… Matsumoto?" Hitsugaya looked around the office only to find his Fukutaichou gone. "How did I get stuck with such a lazy vice captain?" He asked aloud to himself. Hitsugaya glanced at the clock, it was 11pm, and sighed. Just then, the office doors burst open and in came Matsumoto being carried by Hisagi and Kira. 'Perfect timing,' he thought to himself as he internally rolled his eyes.

"Hitsugaya-Taichou – "

"I don't want to hear it. Just take her to her room, we have a mission tomorrow in case you've forgotten. I don't care how bad your hangovers are, be ready and do your damn job." Hitsugaya spat. He was angry. Not only was he under a lot of stress himself, but now Matsumoto and some others were drunk when they were to be dispatched to the Living World in about six hours. Fantastic. Hitsugaya walked to his room and laid on the bed, debating whether or not he even wanted to sleep, wanted to witness those dreams again. Tossing and turning for hours, Hitsugaya finally drifted off at around 3am.

_Hitsugaya had been expecting the same dreams as always. But tonight, tonight was different. There was no girl, no cliff, and no forest. No 'dark heat' and no vision at all. Everything was pitch black, worse than the forest, and deadly silent. A tiny sound was heard, and it got louder as time passed. Hitsugaya recognized it as crying, but could still not see a thing. 'Hello?' He shouted into the darkness. Then, as if he had pushed a magic button, the emotion came, stronger than ever. Hitsugaya fell to his knees as the misery and torment hit him full force. The agony alone was enough to push him to the edge of sanity. The crying continued, soon followed by a tortured yell from Hitsugaya as the ground seemed to disappear and he fell into the burning abyss…_

"AHHH!" Hitsugaya continued to scream as he abruptly awoke from the dream. He sat up quickly but soon felt two hands holding onto his shoulders. Confused, he looked up into the face of a worried-looking Ukitake. "Ukitake-san… what's going on?"

Ukitake seemed as though he was searching for the right words. "Shiro-chan, I decided to swing by to make sure everyone was ready, but I heard… I heard you screaming and… well, did you have a nightmare?" He asked coyly.

Hitsugaya gripped his blankets as he recalled the nightmare that just took place. "No. It's nothing, don't worry about it."

"Shiro-chan, are you sure? We could talk about it – "

"No, there's nothing to talk about."

"But surely – "

"We're going to be late."

At that, Ukitake straightened and glanced at the clock. He sighed, "I suppose you're right. But where is Matsumoto-san?"

It was now Hitsugaya's turn to let out a sigh, as he stumbled out of bed, threw on his captain's haori, and walked briskly to the tenth division office. He flung the doors open and was greeted by very obnoxious snoring coming from the couch. Ukitake stood in shock as Hitsugaya casually walked over to the couch and smacked his Fukutaichou hard in the back of the head. "Baka! Get up, we're leaving!"

"Ahh! Taichou, you meanie." Yawned Matsumoto. She looked up and noticed her captain and Ukitake standing over her. "Oh, Ukitake-Taichou, 'morning. Would either of you mind grabbing me some tea? I take one cream and four sug – "

"Matsumoto! Just get up, we leave in ten minutes." Hitsugaya said impatiently, as he stormed out of the office.

"A little irritable today, ne?" Joked Ukitake.

Matsumoto got up and started towards her room, "Nah, it's just the nightmares. Little Taichou has been so stressed lately because of them."

'Hmm,' Ukitake thought as he watched Matsumoto leave. 'Maybe I'll have to look into that too then.'

**Ten Minutes Later…**

Everyone assigned to the mission was gathered at the Senkei Gate. Naturally, instead of joining everyone else, Hitsugaya was sitting on a tree branch, lost in thought. 'I wonder if this mission will take long. I know this is a serious situation, but on top of the nightmares I just can't handle all of this stuff as well I did before they started. Plus, as crazy as this sounds, I still have to figure out what those nightmares mean.' Hitsugaya let out a long sigh as he rested his head against the tree, this was going to be a particularly long day and he knew it.

Before long, the Senkei gate was open and the group journeyed through to the Living world. As Hitsugaya stepped out of the gate and into the fading sunlight, he noticed that Kurosaki and his crew were waiting for them.

"Oi, we're meeting at the Urahara Store first. After that we will sort out living arrangements and a plan I guess," Kurosaki stated, scratching his head uncomfortably. All of the shinigami nodded and flashstepped towards the store. Matsumoto hung back, wondering if anyone would notice if she happened to stop by a few stores on the way…

"Ahh, quite a big group today I see!" Beamed Urahara. Everyone was either seated or standing, waiting almost impatiently in the cramped room. "Okay, first, I have prepared gigai for all of you… though it's a shame Komamura-Taichou isn't here… I made a very special gigai just for him." Hitsugaya looked up to see Urahara holding a gigai in the form of a giant golden retriever and smirked.

Hitsugaya leaned his head against the wall and sighed impatiently, slowly drifting out of the conversation. _This is going to be interesting, working with a bunch of incompetent morons. _He let his gaze slide along those in the room. Matsumoto adjusting her.. girls, while Kurosaki and Abarai watched from behind cracked fingers. Kira and Hisagi were having an arm wrestling match, and Ukitake was evidently trying to charm Isane. _Yep, morons. _ Suddenly Hitsugaya sat straight up, a tingling feeling throughout his body. _**Your spidey senses, Master? **_ Joked Hyourinmaru.

He looked around quickly. _That reiatsu, it's so… familiar. _Hitsugaya glared at the others. Sure the reiatsu was subtle, but were they really that stupid? "Oi!" He yelled to get their attention. Everyone stopped and looked at him curiously before noticing the reiatsu that seemed to be slowly seeping into the room. "Let's go!" Hitsugaya yelled before using Shunpo towards the source of the reiatsu.

The second Hitsugaya stepped outside, he was blown away by the sheer force of the reiatsu. Determined, he found the direction it was coming from and quickly led the way, the others trailing behind. The reiatsu led them to one of Karakura Town's large parks, not a safe place to linger on dark nights such as this. Squinting, Hitsugaya surveyed the park quickly and noticed large shadows on the opposite end. '_Hollow,' _he thought, wondering at how simple hollow could have such strong reiatsu. Hollow indeed, it seemed like they were everywhere, appearing out of the shadows and moving towards more populated areas.

"We have to take down all the hollows!" Yelled Ichigo, "They're heading towards downtown." The rest of the group simply nodded, unsheathed their zanpakutou, and jumped into action. Hitsugaya, however, decided to head to the far side of the park where he had seen the first of the hollow appear. He found it strange that ordinary hollow were appearing out of no where. '_Maybe it's not their reiatsu, maybe it's something else and they are just drawn to it's power'. _ That **had ** to be it, he decided.

The sound of battle rang through the park, closely followed by a shrill scream that lit up the night. Hitsugaya's breath caught in his throat. There was a girl out here, and from the sounds of it she could see the hollow. Hitsugaya quickened his pace, as he drew closer he could make out the shape of a girl kneeling on the ground, probably injured, and three giant hollow moving in fast. He held Hyorinmaru out in front of him, but as he started to call on his sword, a violent heat exploded. He was thrown back a few feet, unsure of what just happened. Smoke covered the entire area and from where he was he couldn't make out any hollow. He could hear the others yelling for him, but didn't answer. '_The girl!' _ His mind screamed at him. '_Find the girl!' _

He staggered towards where the explosion happened. Something felt familiar, but he shook it off. The smoke was slowly clearing now, and he could make out the girl, still on the ground looking as confused as he was. He stepped forward, hoping she was okay, but when she saw him her confusion turned back to terror as she lept off the ground and stumbled backwards. Hitsugaya couldn't see her face properly, but yet her presence held him there, still as rock. He heard the others shunpoeing up behind him and turned around. The girl took that opportunity to make a run for it, and Hitsugaya had to force himself not to follow her. He didn't want to tell the others what he had seen, they would think he was crazy, he himself already thought he was losing his mind. The explosion had to have been a hollow, for it didn't make sense that the girl, who seemed to have normal reiatsu for a human, could created such destruction. He shook his head, those damn nightmares were making him loopy.

"Hitsugaya Taichou! What was that explosion? Are you alright?" Yelled Matsumoto, frantic that her captain might have gotten hurt.

"I'm fine, Matsumoto." He mumbled, slightly embarrassed. At that, he turned around and started heading back to Urahara Store, leaving a confused group to follow behind him.

AN: So I'll end it here for now. The next chapter will pick up pretty much where this one stops. What do you guys think so far? Am I too obvious? ;) We shall see. Twists, turns, and awkward moments ahead!


	2. Little Miss Red Eyes

**AN: Hey guys! Got a lot of hits but only one review… so I'm hoping you liked the story okay. I think it's alright for my very first one. :o) In this chappy I'll introduce my OC a little. Enough babbling. Enjoy ^_^**

Chapter Two – Little Miss Red Eyes

Back at Urahara Store, everyone piled in dreading the boring details they still had to cover before they could retire to their respective living arrangements. Urahara, however, was full of excitement. So many visitors, so many people to bother, he was beaming as he got ready to go over plans with them. "So," he began. "You all know why you're here. But wandering aimlessly around this town won't do too much. It would be helpful if we knew what areas to pay attention to."

"But there's no way to tell, the reiatsu appears all over the place." Stated Ichigo, clearly frustrated and tired. Urahara grinned and beckoned for Tessai, who came into the room with some sort of chart with red and blue dots on it.

"This," he explained, "is where I've recorded the appearance of the reiatsu. The red dots are the abnormal reiatsu, and the blue ones are the appearance of hollow. As you can see, the hollow are only appearing in areas where the reiatsu surfaces. This gives us a general idea of which places this thing has been. Take a closer look, ladies and gents, WHERE on the map do the dots occur more?"

Hitsugaya forced himself to stare at the map, noting different places and… wait a minute. The places marked were all fairly public: The parks, various streets, a few houses, and Karakura Highschool. "There's a pattern," He stated. "It's appearing in public areas, look, even the mall. Most people go to those places, which is weird… why would this thing be in those places? Most of the dots are around Ichigo's highschool."

"CORRECT!" Urahara yelled, pressing a **that was easy ** button from Staples. "So I suggest we - I mean you guys - start at the school. Which is really perfect because I've already gotten you the uniforms!" Hitsugaya internally rolled his eyes. He suspected Urahara often knew more than he let on, usually one step ahead of them. To him it was a game, a game where he could give little hints here and there but never actually help out. The only thing Hitsugaya found odd was the strange little gleam in Urahara's eye, one that made him think he was hiding something. Urahara was a curious person by nature, but Hitsugaya had a feeling Urahara had his suspicions as to what was going on with this abnormal reiatsu and he was eager to prove his theories true or false. Nevertheless, they had a mission to complete, and to be honest they could use as many hidden clues as Urahara could drop.

"So we pay more attention to Ichigo's school, which means some of us should go there as students, right? That way, if anything happens, a lot of us would be in that area anyways and would be able to respond quickly. Seems like the best plan we've got for now." Said Rukia, a bit excited to be returning to the school.

"Exactly," Ukitake chimed in. "We should have a team at the school, another doing patrols, and Isane and I should remain here with Urahara to act as a sort of home base, particularly in case something goes wrong." Everyone nodded in agreement, so he continued. "Since Ichigo, Rukia, Ishida, Orihime, and Chad already go to school, it would be best if you five stayed there. I think that Hitsugaya Taichou and Hisagi-san should also attend the school with you. Matsumoto, Renji, and Kira can patrol during the day, and the rest of you can take turns at night."

Bored and falling asleep, Matsumoto just wanted to lay down. "Okay, sounds good. Now I think we're done for tonight, where are we going to be staying?"

"Not here! Oh no no, there's no room for all of you." Declared Urahara frantically. No way in hell would he be sharing his store with this many people. "Ukitake and Isane may stay, the rest of you can bunk with someone else."

"I have room at my house, and I'm sure Chad does too." Said Orihime enthusiastically. "Matsumoto-san, Hitsugaya-kun, and whoever else wants to can stay at my house, I'll cook my special for all of you!."

Hitsugaya's stomach dropped, signalling impending doom. Exhausted, he cleared his throat. "Soutaichou got us two apartments here, I'm taking one for myself. Kira and Hisagi can have the other one. Renji stays with Chad, and Matsumoto with Orihime." Hitsugaya grumpily stated, getting up. "I'm leaving, I'll be at the school tomorrow morning." Throwing a key to Hisagi he stormed out the door.

Everyone just stared for a moment, wondering what was wrong with little Taichou. Then loud girly screams broke the silence, followed by talk of sleepovers by Orihime and Matsumoto. It was getting late though, so slowly everyone decided to clear out, Renji being the first to patrol. Ukitake went to his room, but couldn't sleep. Instead he was restless, pacing. "Little Shiro-chan," he mumbled into the night. "Just what is bothering you?"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

_"Why are you here?" The muffled voice could barely be made out over the rushing of the hottest wind Hitsugaya had ever felt. He opened his mouth to respond, only to close it again. Why WAS he here? This dream occurred every night, yet this was the first time she had spoken. Her voice was melodic, the sound a sweet caress against his burning ears. He still could not make out her face clearly, and as he stepped closer to see, she took a step back. The wind picked up, the heat intensified, and he knew what would happen next, what happened every time. "Wait!" He tried to scream above the deafening wind. "What are you?" The girl simply cocked her head to the side, as if she herself was unsure of the answer to that. Then there was an explosion, like the one in the park, and everything went blindingly bright-_

Hitsugaya woke up with a start, desperately patting his body to be sure he was all still there. Exasperated, he plopped back down in bed. Of course he was still here, it was only a dream. He rolled his eyes at himself and glanced out the window. The sun was just beginning to rise over Karakura Town, he'd be early if he got up now, but he couldn't fathom going back to sleep after that. Sighing, he grabbed his school uniform and went to take a shower.

By the time he was done the shower and breakfast, it was about time to leave. He'd be a bit early but there was literally nothing to do in the apartment and he didn't particularly want to think about much of anything right now. The silent walk might do him some good.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Today we are lucky to have two new students: Hitsugaya Toushirou and Hisagi Shuhei. Please make them feel welcome! Boys, maybe you could introduce yourself to the class and then find yourselves a free desk." The teacher was really making an effort, but unfortunately for her, the two boys in question only stared blankly at her, then at eachother. Finally each mumbled their first name and started to look around the class to find a seat. Hisagi moved quickly to a seat beside Rukia. Hitsugaya looked around to find another seat, and couldn't help but notice one girl. She had been watching him as he entered the room, and as he looked at her now he felt frozen. A strange feeling overcame him, though he didn't know if that feeling was good or bad. This was the girl from the park, the one who - he shook his head, no SHE didn't cause the explosion, the hollow did. Nonetheless, it was the same girl. What he didn't notice that night in the park, what held his attention so violently right now, was her eyes. Brilliant crimson red eyes gazed up at him curiously, smouldering. He felt his insides start to smoulder as well. '_What the hell…'_

"Hitsugaya! What is taking you so long! Take your seat, and stop daydreaming in my class!" The teacher finally yelled. Hitsugaya nodded to her and… oh dear, the only seat left was behind little miss red eyes. He felt his cheeks burn bright red as he took his seat. '_Way to go, you moron. Creepily stare at some chick you don't even know. Everyone noticed that little staring match… lovely…' _He tried to sink down in his seat as far as he could go, while Ichigo threw him a "What are you doing?" look.

What was he doing? That was a damn good question.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

To everyone's relief, it was soon lunchtime. Ichigo and the others led the way to a shaded area on the grass after Hitsugaya objected to sitting on the roof in such hot weather. '_How do these kids do it?" _ He wondered absentmindedly. School was such a bother, what with teachers griping at you, having to pay attention to every boring irrelevant thing that comes out of their mouths, and the tons of homework. He sighed, hoping this mission wouldn't last too long. The schoolwork wasn't hard, not for a child prodigy, but it was so boring that he had been this close to banging his head off his desk before the bell signalled his release from hell. Now, sprawled out under the trees, vaguely listening to bits and pieces of conversation, his mind drifted to something - or rather someone - else.

He wasn't scared of her, not really. Though there seemed to be a lingering aura of femme fatale around her. But that wasn't it either. He internally groaned as he realized something: he was intrigued by her. Never had a human caught his attention and held it so painstakingly. Maybe he was indeed going loopy, he decided. He looked up and saw everyone preoccupied with whatever they were talking about, all except Ichigo. He drew in a breath, knowing he had to ask or it was going to drive him nuts.

"Kurosaki… that girl in our homeroom, who is she?"

"Oh, the one you were checking out? That's Ada. Kassuri Ada. Why?"

"I – I was not checking her out, baka, she merely seemed… odd. What do you know about her?"

"Whatever you say." Ichigo said, with a dismissing wave of his hand. He rested back on his elbows and began. "Ada actually just transferred here about a week ago, not sure from where. I don't know anything about her family, or much about her at all. I guess she is a bit shy, I mean she doesn't talk to anyone here. That's not entirely her fault though, a lot of people avoid her."

"Let me guess, because of her eyes?"

"Yup. She's gotten bullied quite a bit, some people started calling her a demon. You know, like she's possessed. She seems nice enough to me. I tried talking to her a couple of times, just being friendly. She was polite, but very shy at first and seemed to be trying to keep her distance for some reason."

"Oi! You guys talking about that Ada chick?" Piped in Rukia. "Yeah, she's different isn't she? I feel bad for her really, she's always alone here. Look." At that point, everyone had started paying attention to Hitsugaya's and Ichigo's conversation, and they all looked over to where Ada was sitting beneath a tree by herself. A pang of sadness went through Hitsugaya. Ichigo got up with a sigh and started walking over to her.

The first thing Hitsugaya noticed was her reaction. Ichigo had bent down in front of her, hand outstretched to offer her some Pocky. She looked so shocked that he almost had to chuckle. Ichigo made a motion indicating she should come and eat with them, but she shook her head. From what Hitsugaya could tell from trying to read her lips, she had said "I really shouldn't, I'm sorry…" Ichigo seemed about to insist, but thankfully for the already blushing Ada, the bell had just rung. She ran off, books held tight against her chest, long blonde hair covering part of her blushing features. But as she glanced over at their group on the way by, he could have sworn he saw a faint smile fall across her lips. Hitsugaya smiled back as he watched her run inside… then scowled when he realized what he was doing and stalked moodily back to class.

-o-o-o-o-o-

By the last bell Hitsugaya realized he had a problem. He was still curious about Ada despite his previous talk with Ichigo. If anything, the fact that pretty much no one knew anything about her made his curiosity even worse. As he entered the hallway, he spotted her at her locker, picking up spilled books on the ground. From the look of death on her face he could safely assume that someone had knocked them to the floor on purpose. Why did people have to be such morons? One may never know. Walking quickly, he moved beside her and bent down to help her retrieve the books. Evidently he'd startled her, as she dropped the books she had picked up with a scream.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. Would you like some help with those?"

"N-No. No thank you, I'm quite capable of getting them myself." She said indignantly.

"Oh, well okay then. I'll just see you later then I guess." Hitsugaya mumbled awkwardly.

"No wait! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude I just… Thank you for offering, that was very nice of you."

"Yeah of course, no problem…" '_Cue awkward silence #2' _ He thought jokingly.

"Well, I have to go…. So, I'll see you around…umm"

"You can call me Toushiro."

She smiled faintly, "I'm Ada. See you around, Toushiro."

All Hitsugaya could do was stare as she hurried away. She certainly was charming. He turned around to start heading home, but he could practically hear the mocking he would have to endure when he saw everyone else. He turned around again and headed off in the direction Ada went. '_I have GOT to figure her out, might as well start now.' _ Hitsugaya could also hear Matsumoto's voice in the back of his mind, "Ne Taichou, you stalker!" Pfft, he wasn't a stalker, not really. Did following a chick home count as stalking? Crap, he bet it did. Oh well, it was his turn to patrol anyways, and he had the strangest feeling Ada was a walking disaster magnet. He smirked, maybe he'd get to play hero.

**AN: SO, hope that was good… or decent lolz. Tell me what you think in a review please if you don't mind. No flames please, it's my first fic and I'm not perfect xD**

**Special thanks to Ziya Hitsugaya for being my first reviewer! *Glomps* Thanks so much, I'm really glad you like it so far! Your nice words inspired me to write this chapter :o) xx**


	3. Obsession

**AN: HI there. First off I am VERY sorry that this took so long, the second I decide to write a fic life is like "Oooh, let's mess with her". Lolz, also, this chapter kind of sucks. I needed to develop certain things so… yeah…. And it doesn't help that I sorta lost a bit of confidence in my writing. But anyways, please forgive lil ole me and enjoy :o)**

Chapter 3 – Obsession

All his training and experience as a Taichou had never prepared him for this. He could fight the most dangerous beings, recover from the most life-threatening of wounds. But this, nothing in his life had ever gotten him ready to face this dilemna… Ada. Just one word, one name, no explanation needed. She intrigued him, made him curious about her, as no human girl had done before. Did he like her? He supposed that could be it, but there was more to it than that. Hell, they hadn't said enough words to eachother for him to know if he actually liked her or not. This, he decided, was different.

Ada was never an issue to him at first. Sure, she certainly captivated his attention, and he found himself wanting to know more. But fulfilling that want, that's what got him into this mess. He allowed himself to become, much to his chagrin, obsessed.

This obsession started the afternoon he followed her home from school. She had walked tall and proud through the streets, not paying attention to the few people from school that stopped to stare and whisper. At one point, Hitsugaya wondered how far her house actually was, as she had been walking for nearly an hour and was fast approaching the outskirts of Karakura Town. Finally he saw it. A little farm type house, more resembling a cabin than anything else, came into view. He watched her as she went about her business, making dinner, doing dishes, and he couldn't help but smile as he saw her to a little dance to the song on the radio. This routine was short-lived, however, as she soon left the house in a waitress uniform.

Hitsugaya cringed. _'A full day of torture at school, and now she has to go to work?' _

Ada walked back along the road leading to downtown Karakura, her face the epitome of exhaustion. But, Hitsugaya noticed, there was also a hint of determination there as well. Within minutes her demeanour had changed. The second she walked into Café Amai, she had magically transformed into a bubbly, cheerful waitress who socialized vividly with her customers. It was obvious she was a favourite here, especially among the male customers, who discreetly checked her out as she bounced from table to table. Her attitude seemed to be contagious as she flitted about, filling orders and practically blowing sunshine out her rear. '_What a façade.' _ He thought to himself.

He noticed that the ocean blue sky of day was slowing changing to the velvety navy of night and realized he had been gone, preoccupied if you will, for way too long. With one last look he turned away and started towards his apartment. Mmm, what he wouldn't give for one of those muffins right now- '_Geez,' _He thought sarcastically to himself. '_I wonder why THAT is?' _ Those muffins were about the last thing on his mind.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"TAICHOU! Where have you BEEN?" The second Hitsugaya had turned the second corner he was glomped by his Fukutaichou, his face brutally assaulted by her oversized… womanlies.

"Mmhmphfmnn…"

"AH! We were so worried. Your patrol ended hours ago and no one had seen you since school ended and… Taichou?"

"MMPHFMNNNMPH!"

"Oh dear, sorry Taichou…" She said sheepishly, rescuing him from the confines of her twin deadly weapons. He glared at her. "I know, it's annoying, my boobs try to kill me too sometimes. Usually when I sleep."

Hitsugaya shook his head, continuing to gasp for air. This was just his luck, running into Matsumoto like this. She was always so nosy and he had a feeling she was going to bother him about where he had been. What was he going to say?

"So…" She began slyly. "Where have you been?"

"I was patrolling and saw something odd, so I went to, erm, check it out" Close enough to the truth, Ada was a tad odd.

"What did you need to check out that took you four hours?"

'_Damn.' _ "It was nothing, just this person I was curious about."

"It was that girl I heard about from Ichigo's school, wasn't it! He said you were asking about her and stuff. So what, you followed her home?"

"It's… it's not like that I…"

"Taichou you stalker! If you want her you have to talk to her, not follow her around like a little lost puppy! Girls like it when you-"

"MATSUMOTO! Knock it off, I do NOT like her. Something seemed off and it was my duty to find out what. I don't like her and I'm not a stalker!" Fuming, Hitsugaya shunpoed away as fast as he could towards his apartment, leaving Matsumoto shivering from his little outburst. '_Saw that one coming' _He thought mockingly to himself.'_So much for playing hero, I ended up playing creepy kid with a muffin craving.'_

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

That night Hitsugaya tossed and turned. Ada invaded his usual nightmare, her face being what he saw now instead of the blurry face of the other girl. He couldn't decide whether that was a good or bad thing. Most likely bad. His self scolding began over breakfast and lasted until he arrived at the school. He was a Taichou for kami's sake! He had no business obsessing over a human girl, she wasn't even related to this mission. He was being absolutely ridiculous and he knew it. Even his earlier hunch had been proven wrong: he had watched her for hours last night and still there was no trace of unusual reiatsu anywhere near her. Anything weird he felt about her was probably just her own personal reiatsu, even humans can have small levels of reiatsu. So, Hitsugaya concluded as he took his seat in homeroom, this would have to stop. No more getting distracted by Ada, they had an important mission to complete and he would be sure they completed it without distraction.

'_And speak of the devil,' _ Hitsugaya thought with a sigh when Ada herself came staggering sleepily through the door. She quickly took her seat in front of him as the teacher glared at her, though not before giving a tiny smile which Hitsugaya did not return.

For the next few hours Hitsugaya did nothing but try to think of ways to end this mission quickly. Unfortunately, he came up with squat. There was really no way to hurry this along solely because they didn't even know what they were here to retrieve. He sighed in frustration, getting the feeling that they might be here for a while. Needless to say, Hitsugaya was in a terrible mood as he headed outside for lunch. He sat slightly away from the group as everyone else chatted animatedly about some trip to the mall or something else that could occupy their time in this boring town. Hitsugaya rested against a tree, his eyes closed, his thoughts wandering.

"Umm, Toushiro kun?" A timid voice said from beside him. He opened his eyes and, low and behold, Ada was there.

"What do you want?" He replied a little too harshly. No one was interested in the mall now, as they were all blatantly staring at Hitsugaya and Ada with bemused expressions. Hitsugaya's short reply took Ada by surprise, and she began to stammer out her answer.

"Oh, well, nothing really… I-I just thought maybe y-you'd… I brought you some muffins… to say thanks for yesterday and I w-was hoping we could maybe eat lunch together-" A bright blush started to swiftly spread over her cheeks, making her face closer to her eye colour than her natural skin tone.

"Not interested." He replied sharply, and immediately regretted it.

Ada's strangled smile fell from her face. He wished she would have just gotten angry at him for being so rude. Instead, her eyes sparkled with fresh tears, though she held them back. She was shaking and had a crushed look to her. Defeated. He hated seeing her like that, so he opened his mouth to make it right but she cut him off.

"No, it's fine. I see. I shouldn't have…" At this point Ada realized that everyone in the school grounds was staring at the scene. "I'm sorry," she said as she dropped the basket and ran. The muffins rolled out onto the ground as Ada ran home as quickly as she could. She was so embarrassed, so stupid, why the hell did she even do that?

Back at the school, Hitsugaya was mortified. '_Wow you asshole', _He thought angrily to himself. Not to mention that everyone had just saw that lovely scene and was now staring at him as though he were the most savage beast they had ever seen. And now he felt terrible, he just made a girl cry, ugh. He took a look around him and noticed the looks on everyone's faces: Most of the girls looked shocked, the guys looked like they were trying to make him think they hadn't seen what just happened, but two people stood out from the group. Matsumoto and Ichigo were both seething with anger, and if looks could kill… well let's just say Karakura Town as a whole would have been blown to smithereens.

"Orihime, Rukia, could you guys go check on Ada please?" Asked Ichigo through his teeth as he took a step toward Hitsugaya. They both nodded and ran off to catch up with her. Ichigo was so angry he wanted to hit Toushiro, unfortunately for him Matsumoto beat him to it.

-SMACK- "Taichou what the HELL is wrong with you?" She demanded angrily, her hand reeling back in preparation for another blow. "You act like you like her one day and are a pig the next! How dare you?" -SMACK-

"Oi, knock that off baka!" Hitsugaya yelled back, rubbing his now red cheek. Thankfully for him, the bell signalling the end of lunch rang. Matsumoto stomped off to the school and everyone still watching quietly followed suit. Sighing, Hitsugaya bent down and carefully put all the muffins back in the basket. There was no point in going back to class, everyone would probably just glare at him for the rest of the day. Instead he decided to head towards the apartment, and perhaps make a stop the beautiful park near the river on the way by. He needed the time to think anyways.

Sitting by the river, all he could seem to do was stare at the muffins. They were a gift, a gift made just for him. And he had humiliated the girl who was kind enough to do such a thing. The sound of footsteps behind him made him tense, then tense even further when Ichigo sat down next to him. "We need to talk," began Ichigo. Hitsugaya simply nodded. It seemed Ichigo knew what was going on here and there was no avoiding it now.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

After reassuring Rukia and Orihime that she was fine, and declining their offer to join them at the mall tonight, Ada sent them home and decided to head to work early. Today was only a four hour shift and now, after the fiasco at school, Ada wished it were longer. Little did she know that she would be wishing the exact opposite very shortly.

As Ada approached the Café, she noticed a small figure leaning up against the wall outside, with a shock of white hair and a basket of muffins. Her stomach began to do flips and she considered going home and calling in sick. Yet as she went to turn away, the figure spotted her, and appeared equally as nervous. Ada walked slowly towards him, expecting another rude outburst. Perhaps he was here to mock her? Or, judging from how hard he was currently gripping the basket, perhaps he planned to chuck it at her head…

"I, umm, I wanted to thank you for the muffins… and I guess we could possibly eat them together… unless you're busy…" Hitsugaya muttered. "It was rude of me to speak to you like that, so I apologize."

"It's okay, I really shouldn't have imposed like that, very stupid of me."

"It wasn't your fault, you weren't imposing, I was just…"

"In a bad mood?"

"I suppose you could say that." Hitsugaya said irritably. "So… did you want to share them?"

Ada cast a nervous glance at the Café, kicking herself for opting for a longer shift. "Actually, I have to work right now, but I get off at 7 if you wanted to…" She stopped talking, aware of his hesitance.

"A group of us are heading to the mall tonight, well I'm being forced… I'd like you to come."

She grinned wide and nodded enthusiastically. All of a sudden the mall sounded pretty good to her. Taking that as a yes, he told her he would be back at seven and proceeded to walk away. Ada practically bounced through the doors of the Café, hoping time would pass quickly. She blushed, surprised at her own excitement, and shook it off. He was just being nice, but still, something to look forward to. And that did not happen often.

Down the street, Hitsugaya nearly kicked himself when he realized his sudden craving for muffins.

**AN: So… please don't kill me. I hope it wasn't too horrible and I promise to try my best to make the next chapter knock your damn socks off ^_^**

**AND big spank youz go to: **

**Shinku no tamashi - yes, he is ooc, sorry! Otherwise Ada would probably knock him out for being too quiet/grumpy :P**

**ToshiroHitsugayagirlfriend - I have a plot in mind, it's pretty good I just hope I can write it well, so it should be quite long, sooo glad you loved it!**

**theunseenowl - YAY thanks, really happy that you liked it.**


	4. The Good and The Bad

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Bleach… yet…**

**A/N: WOW, first off let me apologize. I was in an accident in June and then I lost all inspiration for pretty much anything LOL. BUT, TADA! I'm back, hoping y'all don't kill me, because then I won't be able to finish the story. Soul Society wouldn't allow it. Anyways, I'm posting two chapters as an "I'm sorry" gift to you guys. I hope you enjoy them. XD 3 **

Chapter 4 – The Good and The Bad

Ada paced the bathroom at the Café, peering into the mirror periodically, straightening her unruly hair. Oh my goodness, she was so nervous. She started to get self conscious about her red eyes… but then Hitsugaya's unusual snow white hair came to mind and she didn't feel quite as out of place. At least if Hitsugaya brought up her eyes she could walk to the nearest store, buy a thing of bleach, and shove it at him while giving him a pointed look that clearly said "your roots are showing." Gah! Why was she even thinking like this? If anything, she should throw muffins at him. And again, on the defensive. Wow, she really needed to take some deep breaths…

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

Ada nearly screamed as someone pounded on the door. "Ada? Some freak's here to see you. Get out here, you've been in there for ages!" Yelled the voice through the door.

"Uhhh… yeah, I'll be right there!" She called, trying to stop her voice from betraying how utterly terrified she was. If only the bathroom had a window…

Ada opened the door and strode out to the main dining area of the Café. Sure enough, Hitsugaya was standing by the door. He was dressed in a black polo shirt that made his eyes pop, and Ada couldn't help but give him a look up and down. Their gazes locked for a moment before he gave a cocky little smirk and swung the door open, holding it for her. Ada blushed and quickly went through the door, being so classy that she tripped on the step outside the Café. _Oh dear, _she thought to herself. _This is going to be a long night of embarrassment…_

Ada's POV

Okay, so shopping wasn't as bad as she had imagined it could be. Except for the altercation with the escalator… Escalator vs. Ada… escalator clearly won that battle. She couldn't believe she got on the down escalator to go up… and then tried to play it cool like she meant to. Yet Ada failed, and stood in defeat as the escalator took her back down to a very amused group of Hitsugaya's friends. Lovely. She never has been good at first impressions.

Not long later, Ada found herself relaxing in the food court with everyone else, all tired out from Matsumoto's insistence that they go to every last store or the stores they didn't go to would feel left out. It was unreal, just hanging out with a group of people who actually wanted to be her friends, who weren't afraid of her. Ada cast a quick glance across the table. Oh yeah, and enjoying passionfruit smoothies with one of the hottest guys she's ever seen didn't hurt either.

Just then, Ada's cellphone began to ring, wrenching her from her thoughts. Startled, she nearly dropped it, but managed to hold on. Ignoring the snickering from across the table, she pressed a button and breathlessly answered.

HPOV

That girl is a clutz. But amusing. Yes, she is definitely amusing. Looking up, Toushiro saw that she was gazing at him, very cutely, looking dishevelled. Her eyes, they were the most striking color of dark crimson. This shouldn't have shocked him, he realized, as he'd seen them before. But still, they smouldered. _Dark heat. _The words whispered to him in the back of his mind. If he hadn't been paying so much attention to Ada's eyes, he never would have noticed the change: her bright eyes widened. Then her gaze, which had previously wandered, slid back to his. The phone slid out of her hand and landed on the floor with an echoing crack, and still she sat there, as if in shock. _'This can't be good…"_

"Oi! Ada, you okay?" Toushiro asked, trying to snap her out of whatever thoughts were holding her. She didn't answer right away. Instead, her eyes hardened and turned into a glare. Ada abruptly stood up, shoving her chair back loudly, and looked away.

"I have to go," she managed to say before turning and running out the doors.

"Wait!" Toushiro went to chase after, but noticed her cellphone still on the ground. His curiosity got the better of him. He picked it up and heard someone on the other end yelling her name. "Oi," he said darkly. "Who is this?"

"Me? Who the hell is this? Where is Ada?"

"She ran off pretty upset. I'll ask you one more time: who are you and what's going on?" Hitsugaya heard hesitation on the other end of the line, then finally, a resigned sigh.

"I am Riero Takehashi, brother to Yumiko Takehashi. I called to tell Ada that Yumiko has gone missing. They're good friends… but I didn't know Ada would react like that. Gomen."

Hitsugaya rolled his eyes. "Baka, perhaps this type of news should be delivered in person, not randomly over the phone." Before Riero could reply, he snapped the phone shut. He started to head out after Ada, but then second-guessed himself: _'Should I go after her? Let her be? _Realizing he was at a loss, he turned around and was met by many curious glances. He cleared his throat. "Should I… erm, I mean, should someone go find her… or something?" Hitsugaya stammered out, looking uncomfortable. Everyone stood there in shock for a moment, then Matsumoto burst into hysterical, unattractive laughter.

"Oh Taichou! You're so kawaii!" She yelled, pinching his cheeks.

"Ow, OW! Matsumoto you bastard! Stop!" -SMACK- "I said stop!"

"Ahhh, Taichou, you're so mean!" Matsumoto exclaimed, rubbing the side of her head indignantly.

Ignoring her, Hitsugaya took a deep breath and tried again. "I asked a question: she just found out her friend's gone missing, should someone go find her?"

Ichigo took pity on the uncomfortable Taichou and replied, "She probably wants to be left alone, but checking in on her wouldn't hurt. I'll come with you." Hitsugaya nodded to him, then turned and walked out.

No one noticed that a stranger had been watching, and had set out far before them.

**A/N: I know it was kind of short, but the next chapter is up :) If you don't like, don't comment. This is my story, and I really enjoy it.**


	5. Disillusioned

**Disclaimer: If you think I own Bleach, you should seek professional help.**

**A/N: Without further ado, here is the next chapter! Personally, I really liked this one. :) **

Chapter 5 – Disillusioned

Ada's POV

As she rounded the second corner away from the mall, Ada slowed her pace and forced herself to breathe again. Everything was spinning, she could feel her blood boiling and thrashing through her veins. _'Not this feeling again'_, she thought anxiously. That out of control feeling had been happening more and more often. Ada knew it would be bad if she just let it run wild, so again she focused on her breathing, trying to get her body to stop shaking so violently. _'Yumiko… what happened to you?'_

After a good half hour of walking, Ada was finally nearing home. She was so lost in thought that she didn't notice the figure waiting for her on the porch… and tripped right over them.

"Waaaah! Riero? What the hell are you doing just sitting there like a creeper?"

Riero laughed at the position they were in: Ada sprawled out on top of him, and his head poking out from her underarm. "Well aren't you happy to see me! Though, you really didn't have to knock me over in your excitement." His face turned sombre. "I came to see if you were okay. I heard you got really upset after I told you about Yumiko."

"I'm fine, I just wasn't feeling well. Sorry to have made you worry." Ada climbed off him swiftly and attempted to compose herself. As close as she was to Riero, she didn't want to put her problems on him. He was probably already worried about his sister, Ada didn't want him to be worrying about her too. Even so, Riero's words ran through her mind just then. _'Ada, nothing you say or do is ever going to make me leave.' _ She allowed herself to smile inside at the fond memory.

Looking up, Ada realized that Riero was studying her with worried eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, just as all hell seemed to break loose. In that split second, Ada whipped around, and gasped in horror.

HPOV

Hitsugaya walked slowly towards Ada's house with Ichigo. The reason he was walking so slowly was because moments after they had left the mall, he realized he had no idea what to say to her. If she even wanted to talk to him. Big IF.

All of a sudden, Hitsugaya stopped dead in his tracks as a massive wave of reiatsu washed over him. Wait, no, not just one person's reiatsu. Another eerie reiatsu was slowly rising and falling as well. A familiar feeling washed over him. He recognized it. This could very well be the reiatsu they were searching for! Hitsugaya popped a soul candy into his mouth as Ichigo used his badge, and both broke into shunpo.

With an increasing sense of dread, Hitsugaya rounded the next corner and jumped up to a nearby rooftop. Sure enough, what he saw confirmed his fears. Down below, outside Ada's house, was Ada and some random guy. The guy was laying unconscious on the ground, Ada on her knees beside him. At that instant she looked up, eyes smouldering and piercing through the object of her hatred. Hitsugaya followed her glare and couldn't help but allow his own temper to take over. He drew his zanpakutou and lunged. "TOUSEN!"

Without even looking, Tousen blocked Hitsugaya's sword with his own. Hitsugaya was blown back several feet from the force of the collision, and stood there snarling. Tousen cocked his head in Hitsugaya's direction, "It is never wise to rush blindly into things, Hitsugaya Taichou. But perhaps you are too young to know the meaning of the word 'tact'."

Hitsugaya, now further enraged, started to lunge for Tousen again, but a hand grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "Kurosaki? What the hell do you think you're doing?" He jerked his arm from Ichigo's grip.

"Being cautious." Ichigo then turned to Tousen. "Whatever plans you had, I suggest you leave now."

Tousen laughed, a low mocking sound. "I am merely trying to have a conversation with this young lady here, but we keep getting rudely interrupted. And, substitute shinigami-san, I don't take orders from the likes of you."

It was just then that Ichigo noticed Ada, standing before an unconscious guy. He looked from Ada, to Hitsugaya, and suddenly it clicked. Hitsugaya actually cared about this girl, a human girl! He would have to remember to make fun of him later for it.

As soon as Tousen mentioned Ada, Hitsugaya shunpoed to stand beside her, sword raised. Ada flinched and turned to look at him with a look of pure horror on her face. With a jolt, it dawned on Hitsugaya that she could see him. Hell… of course she could. Tousen had just said he was having a conversation with her. _'I'm going to have a lot of explaining to do,'_ he thought with a grimace. Ada took a long look at his sword. Her eyes travelled between him, Ichigo, and Tousen. "Who the hell are you people?" She demanded, backing away.

_'Ah shit,' _Hitsugaya thought. Just then, Tousen raised his sword and spoke. "Ada, just let me get rid of this garbage and I shall tell you everything you desire to know." A cero began to form at the tip of his blade. With one swift movement he aimed at Hitsugaya and Riero, who was gaining consciousness, and fired.

Ichigo POV

Ichigo watched in horror as the cero was released and headed straight for Hitsugaya and the kid. At the exact moment it was fired, Ichigo shunpoed toward them, knowing he wouldn't make it there in time. It was as if the events were playing out in slow motion. He heard Ada scream "NO!", a horrible, broken sound. And he watched helplessly as she threw herself between the two guys and the oncoming cero. Ada threw her hands out in a last attempt to stop it, then Ichigo saw nothing as smoke and pressure from the collision filled the entire area.

**A/N: YAY, cliffhanger! What's going to happen? Who knows… Oh, just to let you guys know, I'll be trying to update regularly. I'm aiming for once a week, but it might be every other week. I'm hoping to get even more motivated for this story because when I'm motivated I can probably knock off a chapter or two in a day. So… inspire me! XD **

**Also, (SPOILER) for those of you who have seen the anime episode 293… Does anyone else think Ichigo could have maybe said something while everyone was stabbing the hell out of Hinamori? I mean, come on. A simple "Uhh guys… the person you're trying to stab through the heart is your friend… *Awkward face* Aizen's actually over there…" would have been great. But you know… if pedobear hadn't touched Aizen when he was a little boy then this clearly would not be happening. **

**Xoxox**

**-Mina**


	6. Protect Your Heart

**A/N: I'm Baaaaaaack. :) Almost lost motivation yet again for this fic, but Chelsea Lynn saved the day! **

**Ahem... THANK YOU CHELSEA LYNN! Anyone who hasn't read her fic Longing needs to do it now, or no soup for you!**

**Okie now get reading. Enjoy ^_^**

Chapter 6 – Protect Your Heart

Hitsugaya slowly regained his composure as the smoke began to clear. _'What… the hell?' _He thought, and then panicked as he remembered what had just happened.

~Flashback~

Tousen raised his sword and fired a huge cero straight at Hitsugaya and Riero. Hitsugaya was about to flashstep out of the way, but realized he couldn't leave Riero, nor could he get them both out of harm's way in time. Time slowed to a mere crawl. Hitsugaya raised his sword and prepared for the impact. He heard Ada cry out, and the last thing he saw before the explosion was her throwing herself directly into the line of fire.

~End of Flashback~

"Ada!" Hitsugaya yelled out in panic, his eyes widening.

"Toushiro? Is everyone okay?" Came Ichigo's voice through the cloud of settling dust. Hitsugaya looked down to see Riero sitting on the ground, his eyes bulging and his jaw practically hitting the floor.

"Riero and I are fine, but I can't find Ada."

"I think I see her." Ichigo spotted Ada laying on the ground and ran to her. "Ada! Oi! Are you okay?" No response. Then Hitsugaya joined him, and for one painful moment they both thought she might be dead, until Hitsugaya reached down and felt a faint pulse. He breathed a deep sigh of relief.

"Toushiro, look at her hands…" Ada's hands were burnt; some welts and smudges of black extended from her delicate palms to just below her elbows. "Think that's from the cero? Damn, how did she survive that?"

Hitsugaya gazed down at her, lost in thought. That cero should have killed a human, even one with spiritual pressure… Wait… reiatsu! "Kurosaki, her reiatsu."

"Huh? What reiatsu?" Of course Kurosaki wouldn't have noticed, baka. Tousen's reiatsu was powerful, and that cero certainly would have left a mark, but the reiatsu Hitsugaya felt wasn't from either of those. No doubt about it, Ada had released a large amount of reiatsu. It was the only reason she was still breathing.

"Nevermind, we need to get her out of here now. She won't last much longer in her current condition."

"Right. We can take her back to my place and I'll call Orihime."

"You go, I need to check in with everyone else. I'll be at Urahara's." Hitsugaya glanced at Ada, out of curiosity and worry, and then took off.

"Toushiro wait! What do I do with him?" But Hitsugaya was already gone. Ichigo sighed, just great. "So… I'm Kurosaki Ichigo. Who are you?" Riero just sat there with his mouth wide open. Ichigo went and crouched in front of him, waving his hand in front of Riero's face. "Hello?" Riero let out a piercing scream and shot up. He turned to run away, but ran smack into Renji and started screaming all over again.

Renji grabbed him by his collar. "Yo Ichigo, who the hell is this loser?" He asked, jerking his thumb toward a dangling Riero.

"Let me go right this instant! You damn freaks!"

"How would I know who he is?" Ichigo began, completely ignoring Riero. "But he was with Ada when Toushiro and I got here, so I think we should keep an eye on him. There's no time to explain, not that I'd really know how to." Ichigo gently picked Ada up and cradled her in his arms, "I need to get her back to my family's clinic and then call Orihime. Can you bring him?"

Renji sighed, "Yeah, fine." He raised his fist and before Ichigo could say anything, he knocked Riero unconscious. Ichigo rolled his eyes, _That was unnecessary._ But he bit his tongue. He didn't have time to berate Renji for being an idiot either.

Ichigo stepped into his family's clinic and put Ada down on one of the crisp, white beds. He thought about asking his father to take a look at her, but realized he would ask way too many questions. They needed Orihime.

Renji came through the clinic doors just then and dropped Riero on the floor with a grunt. "Oi, you don't need to throw him around like a ragdoll, just put him on one of the beds." Ichigo said frustratedly, reaching for the phone.

After three tries, Ichigo gave up. He left a brief message for Orihime to come to the clinic, and decided that he would see what he could do for Ada until then. He motioned Renji over to help him, figuring that two were better than one – make that two people who had mostly no idea what they were doing were better than one – hopefully.

_'Wow, look at these burns. I didn't think cero would leave marks such as those.' _Ichigo thought, moving closer so he could begin to clean her wounds. Renji stared incredulously. "What exactly happened to her hands? I mean, we know she got attacked, but she barely has any other wounds."

"She stopped a cero."

"…She-She stopped one? That's not possible!"

Ichigo stared down at Ada, his eyes seeming to search for an explanation within her soft feature. "I know."

"Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime poked her head around the door. "I got your message, is everyone okay?" She spotted Ada's lifeless form. "OH NO! Ada-kun! What happened?"

"Inoue, breathe. We'll explain later. Can you heal her?" Ichigo said impatiently. Orihime nodded slowly and walked over. With one last worried glance, Orihime held out her hands and began the healing.

"What… what's going on?" Riero had finally come to. Ichigo decided that now would be as good a time as any to question him. He walked over to Riero, dragging a chair. Swinging it around, he sat down backwards and looked directly into the eyes of a very frightened Riero.

"Okay, I'm Kurosaki Ichigo. You're going to answer my questions, starting with: Who are you?"

"T-Takehashi Riero. But I –"

"Next question: How do you know Ada?"

"She's my sister's best friend, and my friend too. Is she—"

"What were you doing at her place tonight?"

"Man, you're really uptight, you know."

"Answer the question." An irritable glint appeared in Ichigo's eyes. "Now."

"W-well I had c-called to tell her that Yumiko, that's my sister, had gone missing. She got really upset by that and didn't even answer me. Then some dude came on the phone and told me she left pretty upset. So I went to her house to see if she was okay."

Ichigo thought for a moment, yeah that made sense. And this kid didn't look like much of a threat. "But how could you see us?"

Riero's face suddenly went blank as he looked from Ichigo, to Renji, to Orihime and back. "… Umm, I could see you because you were standing right in front of me wielding a deadly weapon?" Riero paused as the night's events came flooding back to him. "OH MY KAMI! Ada! Is Ada okay? I got knocked out by that guy with the ugly blindfold, and when I opened my eyes there was a giant red thing coming at me. Ada jumped in the way!" He spotted Ada and started to go to her. "You freaks get away from her!"

Ichigo grabbed his arm, "Considering she stopped that 'giant red thing' that was going to kill you all, I'd say she's a freak too." As soon as those words left his mouth, Ichigo knew he had made a mistake.

Riero stopped dead in his tracks. "So the rumours are true?" Ichigo was about to ask what rumours when Orihime interrupted.

"Ano… Kurosaki-kun?" Ichigo looked over his shoulder at the scene behind him. Orihime was backed up against the nearest wall; Renji was staring wide-eyed at Ada; and Ada didn't appear to have moved. "I-I can't heal her."

"What do you mean?"

"I've been trying to, but it's like I get pushed out. The last try shoved me back into the wall. It's like she won't let me heal her." Orihime had tears sparkling in her eyes. She was so used to being able to help, but this time she didn't know what to do.

"So it's true, she's a demon," Riero whispered sadly. Ichigo grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the wall.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"She's different… not normal. They say she can do some pretty weird stuff man. I didn't want to believe it… but I can't ignore this."

"But you're her friend," Orihime protested.

"I don't think I can be anymore. I can't be involved in this kind of stuff. My sister's missing, how do I know you freaks didn't have something to do with that?" Riero took one last look around the room, his sad eyes lingering on Ada almost apologetically, then backed out the door and took off. Ichigo watched him go, making no move to stop him. Ada was their first priority, they would deal with that punk later. With a sigh he turned back to Orihime.

"Well, we have to do something. I guess we're left with old fashioned first aid." Orihime nodded and grabbed a few rolls of gauze. Before she could start wrapping Ada's arms, Ichigo took the gauze from her. "I'll do it, you sit down and relax. Thanks for trying."

"Ichigo—" Renji began.

"Not now, Renji. I don't want to hear it."

"We have to address it eventually. Her reiatsu was unmistakable—"

"I said not now." Ichigo was sitting on the side of Ada's bed, intently working to stop the bleeding and wrap her palms up. He refused to look up.

After a few minutes, Ichigo was satisfied. Orihime, sensing the gloomy mood, decided it was time for her to go home.

A little while later, Renji stood up. "I can't sit around here all night, I've got patrol." He stretched and began to walk toward the door, but a small moan caused him to stop. On the bed, Ada began to squirm a bit. Renji walked a little closer out of curiosity. Ichigo, who was still poised on the side of her bed, moved over her to see if she was okay.

The darkness began to slowly lift and Ada heard what she thought were voices. It was sad, really. The blackness provided a measure of comfort, a stillness, remote from the crazy world. But, like all things, it too was coming to an end. Ada's hearing became sharper.

"Is she okay?"

"Yeah, I think she's coming around. Ada, can you hear me?"

Ada tried to force her eyes open, blinking groggily. At first, all she could see was a shock of orange and a splash of red. A few more blinks revealed two people leaning over her. Ada shot upright in panic.

"Whoa, it's okay Ada." Ichigo said gently, reaching out for her. She pulled away from him.

"No, stay away from me," She said shakily. Then she noticed her bandaged hands and the memories came rushing back like unwanted waves…

Yumiko missing.

Riero's kindness.

Tousen promising answers.

The bright red light.

Trying to protect Toushiro and Riero.

And then… nothing.

Ichigo waited for her to get her bearings. "Where am I?" She timidly asked, glancing around the room.

"My family's clinic…" Began Ichigo, not sure if he should continue.

"Where are Toushiro and Riero?"

"Toushiro had to meet up with some people, and Riero just left. They're both just fine, thanks to you." Ichigo gave a little half smile when he said this, but Ada's face looked even more pained. He didn't know why, which worried him further. Sure, the night's events had been crazy, and her reiatsu suspicious, but this was still Ada. The girl he made sure he talked to a little bit each day. The girl he was trying to coax out of her shell. The one he subtly looked out for—

"You should stay away from me." Ada gingerly swung her legs to the ground and shakily stood up.

"What?"

Ada ignored him, walking around him towards the door. "Ada wait! You're in no shape to go out just yet. And why would we stay away from you?" Renji reached out and grabbed her arm as she walked past. Quick as lightning, Ada spun and knocked his arm away. A burst of reiatsu flared like a warning. Ada looked up in slight shock, though her red eyes seemed to burn as she held his gaze. "Renji, let her go."

No one said anything as Ada turned and stumbled out of the clinic. Finally, it was Renji who broke the silence. "Why the hell did we let her go, you baka? There's something up with that girl. Sooner or later we're going to have to figure out what and deal with it."

"She's not a threat."

"Not yet, but I know even a baka like you could feel that reiatsu. You may not want to, but we're going to have to confront her, and soon."

"I know," Ichigo muttered with a sigh.

**A/N: Sooooo... how was it? I can never tell if you guys like it because hardly anyone reviews . Click da button, you know you wanna. :D**

**xoxo Mina**


	7. Betrayal That Burns

**A/N: Gomen! Late posting, I know. :)**

**First thing's first:**

**Thank you to Black Cat Angel, Frozenbreath, and Chelsea Lynn! You guys were my motivation for this chapter. Also… I made brownies… -looks at brownies, looks at Chelsea Lynn- Just take them all ^_^**

**Enjoy! **

Chapter 7 – Betrayal That Burns

_As the sun sets behind raging seas_

_I hear a voice calling to me_

_I close my eyes, wracked with despair_

_Can they not see that no one's there?_

_I yearn to touch, to hold, to breathe_

_To wake the parts shot dead in me_

_I scream, I fight, until the end_

_But fear I'll never be whole again._

"Oi, what are you two arguing about now?" A voice said from the doorway.

"Hitsugaya-Taichou! Umm, Ada just left, she—"

"I know. We're all meeting at Urahara's place in half an hour. Be there." With that, he shunpoed into the darkness, leaving Ichigo and Renji dumbfounded.

"What's gotten into him?" Said Renji shuddering, "He's more chilly than usual."

Exactly half an hour later, everyone was crammed into Urahara's Store. Most were sitting around the table, but some, like Hitsugaya, were too tense to sit down. He stood leaning against the wall, arms crossed and a pensive look on his face.

Once everyone was silent, Hitsugaya explained exactly what had happened after he and Ichigo found Ada. There were quite a few exclamations when Tousen's name was mentioned, most being of anger and surprise. Then Ichigo picked up where Hitsugaya left off, talking about Riero and the strange events at the clinic, not leaving out the part about Ada's injuries. The mood turned even more serious, everyone seemed worried. Well, except for Urahara. He sat silently with an amused look and a frighteningly curious glint in his eyes.

"So," Ukitake began. "There are many unanswered questions. But the most pressing one seems to be: What do we do as of now?"

Urahara poured himself some more tea as her spoke. "I'd like to meet this young lady. Perhaps I can find something out that you can't."

"By hitting on her?" Ichigo sneered. "Not likely."

He waved his fan in mock shyness in front of his face. "Oh Kurosaki-san, you make it sound as though I hit on everything that moves…" Everyone stared accusingly at him. "But that's beside the point. I have my ways of finding things out."

"Hmph, yeah, I guess you do. But how will we get her here? She said to stay away from her."

A plan began to form in Hitsugaya's head. "Kurosaki, you've known her for a while. I think you should try to talk to her. Urahara, I assume you would need prolonged contact with her, correct?"

"Hai."

"We'd ideally like her to come in willingly so we can find out more about her. From what Kurosaki has said, she's running scared; isolating herself, and she is dangerous. High emotional stimulation triggers her abilities, as Renji found out when he grabbed her arm. We want to avoid an outright confrontation unless we absolutely have to."

Everyone nodded. Renji, rubbing his arm from the memory, spoke up grumpily. "Is it really a great idea to let her walk around free? She's a ticking timebomb."

"Abarai has a point," Said Hitsugaya reluctantly. "I think one of us needs to watch her at all times. We can switch off. I'll take the first shift tonight."

With a dismissive nod, Hitsugaya walked out into the night and towards Ada's house. Just as he suspected, she was already home. Perched up on the roof, he could hear her sobbing in the bedroom below. He sighed, he felt for her. Clearly even she didn't know what was going on with herself. Hitsugaya leaned back and stared at the moon, making a promise to himself that he would try his best to help her. Only because it was his duty as a Taichou, of course. But then, wouldn't he also be obligated to report her as the source of the reiatsu? His stomach clenched at the thought. They weren't 100% sure yet, so he could certainly wait to report it… right? As well he should, he realized. Because hearing her cry just now confirmed the thoughts he had been denying since he met her: She was the girl who appeared to him in those dreams. '_Damn," _He thought tiredly. _'This just keeps getting worse.'_

Ada sat in Anatomy class the next day, trying to sink down as low as possible in her seat as the teacher droned on and on. Every now and then she could feel eyes boring into her, and she was willing to bet those eyes belonged to Ichigo and his group. _'Great, they probably all know what happened. Now I'm an even bigger freak… didn't think that was possible.'_ Ada sighed and looked at the clock. Thank Kami this was the last class of the day.

This seating arrangement couldn't be more awkward either: Ichigo on her left, Toushiro directly behind her, and Renji to her immediate right trying to lean as far away from her as he could. Plus, that nerdy kid that kept pushing up his glasses had been sending her some seriously curious looks.

~Ichigo~

Instead fo staring out the window as he usually did in class, Ichigo's attention was focused on Ada. She had managed to avoid everyone at lunch, but he vowed that he would snag her after school. She couldn't hide forever. Or so he thought…

As soon as the bell signalled the end of the bland school day, Ada literally shot out of her seat and bolted out the door. Ichigo sighed, was she a damned sprinter now too? Rukia approached him, "Ichigo, are you planning on talking to her now?"

"Yeah, if I can catch her."

"Well, you'd better hurry up. Today at lunch I managed to catch her for a second and invited her to hang out after school. She declined, saying she was going to visit Riero."

Ichigo's eye began to twitch. "She's going to see him…? That could be a problem."

"A problem? Why is that?"

"She, uhh, doesn't know about what Riero said or the reason he wasn't there when she woke up." He scratched the back of his head uncertainly.

"Great. Just great. Ichigo, you're a baka. You'd better go."

"Huh?"

"Ada's about to find out that one of her good friends isn't her friend anymore… What do you think is going to happen exactly? A tea party?"

"Oh crap." Ichigo raced out of the room.

"Wait for it…" Rukia muttered to herself. The corner of her mouth twitched with the urge to laugh as Ichigo came racing back into the room.

"Uhh, where does Riero live?"

Rukia hid her smile. "Next to the main park, I believe."

Ichigo nodded and took off again, hoping against all hope that he could catch up with her before shit started hitting the fan. Again.

Ada hesitated outside Riero's house. From what she remembered of last night, some pretty unexplainable events took place. She was used to being a trouble magnet, but now her status seemed to have risen to "Walking Death-Trap". Ada was weighed down with guilt, at the very least she should apologize. And why should she be nervous? This was Riero, the one who wouldn't leave. Emboldened by that thought, she drew a breath and walked swiftly to the door; knocking one, twice, three times confidently.

The door swung open and there stood Riero, looking like he hadn't even slept yet. Ada smiled up at him, but it wasn't returned. Her stomach clenched, something wasn't right. "Ada… what are you doing here?"

"I came to make sure you're okay after… after yesterday."

"You shouldn't be here." Ada froze, dumbfounded. Had she just heard him right?

"Why not?" She asked timidly, afraid she already knew the answer. Riero took a deep breath and looked away, as if it were going to be excruciating to say what came out of his mouth next.

~Ichigo~

Out of breath and slightly kerfuffled, Ichigo sighed in relief as Karakura's biggest park rose up in front of him. In retrospect, he should have found out exactly which house was Riero's, instead of running along the outside of the park trying to spot Ada. But spotting her hadn't been too difficult anyways. In less than five minutes he found them: Ada on the front porch, and Riero standing in the doorway almost reluctantly. Ichigo paused to watch; it wasn't every day someone got to hear shy little Ada yell, but boy was she yelling. It would have been funny, except for the fact that it wasn't an angry yell. It was a sharp, upsetting plea.

"But you promised!"

"Ada, try to understand! I can't be involved in this stuff. I don't even know what 'this stuff' is! Yumiko is missing, I don't need to deal with your problems on top of that. I can't." Riero paused, looking at Ada with both determination and remorse as she sputtered, not knowing what to say. "I'm sorry," He finally said, and shut the door without another glance in her direction.

Ada stood there, fists clenched, staring in disbelief at the closed door. Ichigo decided that now would be the best time to make his presence known. He didn't like the eerie calmness that surrounded her. Calm before the storm, isn't that what they say?

"Hey Ada… I was just, umm, hanging out at the park and saw you and thought we could maybe… hang out or something. Is everything okay?" Ichigo mentally kicked himself at his lame attempt at conversation. Frantically, he tried to remember what Rukia had taught him about comforting girls.

Ichigo reached over and put his hand on Ada's shoulder. At his touch, she shook and let out a tiny cry. Putting one hand to her lips in an effort to silence herself, she turned and ran, desperately seeking some privacy. Ichigo, rushed after her without a word.

Ada came to a stop by a small river, her thoughts rushing faster than the water in front of her. _'This is it,' _ She thought. _'I can't hold it in.' _Ada's insides seemed to burn; thousands of tiny explosions. Her control was slipping. She could feel Ichigo behind her. "G-go away." She choked out, not daring to face him.

He stepped forward, "I'm not leaving you."

"Just go! Please!" Ada couldn't hold it in much longer. Her reiatsu began to flare uncontrollably.

Ichigo flinched, but held his ground. "No, I won't leave you." The wind began to pick up. Ichigo walked up to Ada, swung her around, and held her to him. She pushed desperately against his chest.

"No, you don't understand! I'll hurt you!" She cried.

Ichigo flashed her a cocky grin, "I can take it. Don't push me away. Go ahead and let it out, but I'm not leaving you." He called over the wind, holding on tighter.

Ada let out a heartbroken sob as her knees buckled beneath her. Her reiatsu burst out of control, twisting and whipping around them; raging into them like waves. Ada's half cries, half screams tore into Ichigo's soul. He looked up slightly. Over Ada's head, he could make out shadows of people. He could hear muffled shouting, but was too deafened by the spiritual pressure to hear the words. _'Shit,' _he thought to himself. _'I can't hold on much longer, not in this form. But if I go out of my body, it will be incinerated in this mess.' _

"Hyorinmaru!" One voice rang out loud and clear over the thundering reiatsu. And just in time. Ichigo was having a hard time holding onto Ada. She slipped out of his grasp and lay on the ground screaming. Ichigo fell down beside her, managing to find her arm. Touching her burned him again, but he promised he wouldn't let go.

Suddenly, the reiatsu didn't seem to burn anymore. Ichigo looked up and saw Hitsugaya standing over them, panting from his efforts to stop the rogue spiritual pressure. "What the hell happened, Kurosaki?"

Ichigo was surprised to find that he could barely speak. He managed to mutter, "Her reiatsu… Riero left… she lost it… can't control it… Help her."

Hitsugaya immediately went to Ada, brushing her hair back from her face. Ichigo saw his features soften as he picked her up. "Let's get you two to Urahara's. We have some serious discussing to do."

**A/N: Okie, all done. So… you likey? Review! But no flames or PedoBear will have his way with you!**

**Xoxo**

**-Mina**


	8. Risks

Chapter 8 – Risks

HPOV

Hitsugaya's life was in danger. He pushed against the door as hard as he could, trying to get it to close. But there was a creature out there determined to break into his apartment.

"Taichou! Let me in! I want to pinch your cheeks!" Yes, the dreaded Matsumoto and her twin cannons. Hitsugaya glanced up at the chain lock, it wasn't going to hold much longer.

A blast of reiatsu took his attention away from the door. "Ada… OMPH!" The next thing he knew, he was face down on the floor. Matsumoto had taken advantage of his slack on the door and pounced. But now, she too had noticed the spiritual pressure.

"Ne, Taichou… Do you feel that? Taichou?" Matsumoto glanced down to see her twins pinning Hitsugaya's face to the floor. "Oh geez, not again! Bad girls! Get off Taichou! Gomen nasai, they seem to really like you—"

"Matsumoto, shut up for a moment!" Hitsugaya roared, pushing her the rest of the way off of him. He stood up quickly and looked out the window. _Where is it coming from? _"It's Ada."

"Ada? The girl you were stalking? Where is she?" Matsumoto exclaimed, joining him by the window.

_Come on Ada, where are you? _"There!" Hitsugaya pointed at the faint yellow glow to the east. "Let's go."

"Hai!"

The first thing Hitsugaya thought was that someone had attacked Ada, but the only other reiatsu he could sense near hers was Kurosaki's. At that thought, he felt a pang of jealousy. But that feeling was cut short as the scene came into view. Ada was clinging onto Ichigo, screaming as if she were in pain. Ichigo was holding onto her for dear life. Both were engulfed in a thick yellow light, whipping around them like a hurricane.

Hollow were beginning to appear, no doubt drawn to Ada's reiatsu outburst. Matsumoto had already begun to fight them off, as Renji and Rukia arrived to do the same. Hitsugaya, however, was focused on Ada and Ichigo. They had both slipped to the ground, and Ada's diminishing screams were persisting in his ears. Hitsugaya knew he had to do something. He attempted to get closer, and scowled. It was hot, like a desert. _Dark heat._ The words whispered through his mind again as a trickle of sweat made its way down the side of his face. Damn, he hated heat like this.

"Time to play hero," he muttered to himself, unsheathing his zanpakutou. "Souten ni zase, Hyourinmaru!" He focused his reiatsu and swung, sending a huge wave of ice crashing into the heat. Hitsugaya struggled to push it back, straining under the effort. With one final thrust, the deadly heat dissipated. Out of breath, but fully enraged, Hitsugaya approached the duo on the ground.

"What the hell happened, Kurosaki?"

Ichigo blearily looked up at him. "H-Hormones…?"

Hitsugaya rolled his eyes. "In a little more detail?"

"Riero left… She lost it… Can't control it… Her reiatsu…" His eyes slid to Ada's motionless form as he fought to catch his breath.

Hitsugaya's heart clenched as he went over to Ada. He bent down, and couldn't help but brush her hair back from her face. He mentally chastised himself for doing such a stupid thing. Hitsugaya gently picked her up and spoke, "Let's get you two to Urahara's. You have some serious explaining to do."

To say that Hitsugaya was surprised would have been an understatement. To say pleasantly surprised would have been laughably wrong. About two blocks from Urahara's, Ukitake intercepted them, grabbing Hitsugaya's upper arm mid-shunpo. "You're not going to want to take her there, Hitsugaya Taichou."

"Ukitake? Why not?"

"Soifon Taichou is there at the moment, inquiring about the reiatsu she felt just now. I'm afraid if you take Ada there, she will be able to tell that the reiatsu came from her…" Ukitake trailed off. He didn't need to say anymore, the obvious was implied. If Ada was discovered, she would be taken into custody, where Kami knows what could happen to her. But by not handing her over, they would be withholding major information not only from Soifon Taichou, but the rest of Seiretei as well. Hitsugaya paused, but only for a second.

"I see," He said carefully. "I will be taking Ada back to my place then. Please send Isane over as soon as possible, and keep me updated."

Ukitake gave a slow nod and the two captains stared at each other pensively for a moment. Then Ukitake's face became even more serious. "Hitsugaya Taichou, are you aware of what you are doing?"

Hitsugaya gave him a hard look. "Of course I am. And I assume you approve, seeing as you were the one to come and warn me of Soifon's presence." He gave an arrogant smirk. "I'm guessing we both have the same good judgement in this case." Ukitake felt a smile tug at his face as he turned to go back to Urahara's.

"So wise for your years, Shiro-chan." He muttered with a chuckle.

"I heard that," Hitsugaya muttered in response as he turned in the opposite direction. He let his gaze slide to Ada, knowing he made the right choice as she clutched his haori. Even barely conscious, she still reached out for him.

To avoid being questioned, Ichigo was brought along to Hitsugaya's place as well. Lucky for him, he was barely injured, just exhausted. The apartment was crowded; such a small space attempting to accommodate Hitsugaya, Rukia, Renji, Ichigo, and Ada.

They had already heard the tale of what happened, and now sat speechless in the tiny livingroom. It seemed as though none of them knew what to say. Or even where to start, because the questions were many. Renji finally broke the silence, his highly confused voice stating bluntly, "So… her reiatsu explodes when she is emotionally unstable? Women and their hormones, I tell ya."

Ichigo stifled a laugh as Rukia muttered something about testosterone and puny brains. Hitsugaya, however, was growing increasingly irritated. He threw a sharp look in Renji's direction. "This is a serious matter. I expected that someone like you would be unable to fully comprehend it, but I never thought that you would come to such idiotic conclusions." Glancing out of the livingroom window at the dying sun, he continued. "All of us with reiatsu can lose control of it when our emotions run wild…"

"Hmm, that's true. And since Ada is human, she should not have that level of reiatsu. Because of that, she is unable to control it." Rukia finished his train of thought.

"Precisely. And one cannot hope to control something they do not know the existence of." Hitsugaya exhaled roughly. Did Ada know just how dangerous she was? She had obviously known there was something different about her. But she didn't know the details, of that he was sure. And it seemed they had no choice anymore but to tell her what they could, preferably before she destroyed part of Karakura Town the next time she got overly upset.

"It's getting late," remarked Ichigo into the silence that had again fallen thickly. "I think I'll be fine if I go home now." He got up, a little on the shaky side, and Rukia mimicked him.

"This couch is pretty comfy, I think I'll just st—" Hitsugaya glared at Renji, plunging the room into cold fury. "I mean, I should head back to Urahara's. Yup, that's what I meant." He backed out the door, not wanting to worsen Hitsugaya's already ill mood. Ichigo and Rukia left behind him, promising to check in in the morning.

From where he stood, Hitsugaya could glimpse Ada on the bed. Well, she didn't look like she would be going anywhere in her condition. So without another thought, Hitsugaya settled himself on the sofa and fell asleep as an exhausted sigh escaped him.

White walls, unfamiliar ceiling… Why were these things becoming increasingly more common? Ada forced her eyes fully open with a groan. She almost expected herself to be in Kurosaki's clinic again, but a jolt of panic coursed through her body when she realized she was in… a bedroom?

Oh no, oh HELL no. She jumped up quickly, creeping to the bedroom's open door like a ninja. She peeked out. There was a figure on the couch. Hoping to get the jump on them, she tiptoed across the room, picking up a heavy book along the way. Just as she raised the book over her head, intending to strike, her supposed kidnapper rolled over to face her in his sleep. The blanket slipped to reveal a shock of white hair.

Ada froze, staring wide-eyed at Hitsugaya's sleeping form. Bursting into barely suppressed giggles, she set the book down on the coffee table. Oh dear Kami, what had gotten into her? She had nearly bludgeoned Toushiro to death. She knew she shouldn't be laughing about that but, well, here she was.

With a sigh, she propped herself on the arm of a nearby chair. Ada studied the sleeping boy's face for a few minutes, noticing his features softened as she had never seen them soften when he was awake. He was always harsh, adamantly hiding a gentle side she knew he must possess. She felt guilty. She remembered exactly what had happened until she had passed out. And even then, since she woke up in Toushiro's bedroom, the rest of the pieces weren't all that hard to put together. The guilt twisted angrily in her stomach, and she knew she had to act.

Ada stood up sharply, tucked the soft blanket more securely around Toushiro, and turned silently to leave. Taking one last look, she knew what she had to do: She would get as far away from him as possible. There was obviously something terribly wrong with her. She refused to put him at risk, so there was no other option.

* * *

**A/N: Hey, for anyone still reading this story I sincerely apologize for not updating in forever! I'm currently not sure where I am going to take this fic right now, so consider it on indefinite hiatus for the moment. I intend to finish it, and hopefully in an epic fashion. Just not sure when I'll have the time. Sorry! Just be patient with me, ne? n_n**

**~ Mina-chan xx**


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Bleach, Hurt-Comfort, Romance